In an effort to enhance cyber security in the country, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has imposed an outright ban on the use of private emails to conduct the business of the state. She made the announcement during a meeting with Ministers and Senior Public Officers, which also included Permanent Secretaries. In that same light, to avoid any semblance of corruption and to ensure adequate follow-up, she has requested the presence of public officers at all business meetings.

Citizens of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will no longer be able to submit their Canadian visa applications online as of December 2018. Biometric data, to include fingerprints and photograph information will be required and therefore persons must travel to their nearest Canadian Embassy, which is in Trinidad, for a physical appearance. Foreign Affairs Minister of St Kitts & Nevis, Mark Brantley, is already weighing in on the challenges which that will pose on applicants, particularly the costs that will be involved.

Criminal deceptions, possession of counterfeit notes, obtaining goods and services by forged instrument, among others, are some of the cases of white collar crimes that have been on the rise in the country. The Royal Barbados Police Force has recorded an increase for the first four months of the year compared to the same period last year.

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), has launched the first mobile hospital in the region on the grounds of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). The facility will be utilized mainly by the Barbados Defence Force in case of an emergency at the QEH as well as to serve the Caribbean when there is a disaster.

The National Adaptation Plan, which was established by the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. The approval came after an intense one-year consultation process. The process builds on the progress that countries have already made in terms of climate change adaptation policy and action.

Since 2011, excessively large quantities of sargassum have accumulated in the Caribbean Sea, only to wash ashore in several Caribbean countries. Massive sargassum seaweed blooms are becoming increasingly frequent in the Caribbean. The seaweed covers the beaches in huge, stinking blankets that sometimes measure up to ten feet in depth. While it affects tourism and fisheries in some countries in particular the OECS, some Governments believe it should be treated as a climate change issue and have even called for the establishment of a regional action plan to deal with the issue.

The Montreal Greenhouse Park which was financed under the European Union Banana Accompanying Programme (BAM) for a cost of EC$4.7 million was opened yesterday. The Park which will be operated by producer groups through management leases aims to increase the production of fruits and vegetables to satisfy domestic demand and thereafter for export. A total of EC$31 million was allocated to the country under BAM most of which went towards the construction of feeder roads and improvement of agricultural infrastructure.